What is a PDF file?

Adobe PDF files—short for portable document format files—are

one of the most commonly used file types today. If you've ever
downloaded a printable form or document from the Web, such as
an IRS tax form, there's a good chance it was a PDF file. Whenever
you see a file that ends with .pdf, that means it's a PDF file.

Why use PDF files?

Let's say you create a newsletter in Microsoft Word and share it as

a .docx file, which is the default file format for Word documents.
Unless everyone has Microsoft Word installed on their computers,
there's no guarantee that they would be able to open and view the
newsletter. And because Word documents are meant to be edited,
there's a chance that some of the formatting and text in your
document may be shifted around.

By contrast, PDF files are primarily meant for viewing, not editing.

One reason they're so popular is that PDFs can preserve
document formatting, which makes them more shareable and
helps them to look the same on any device. Sharing the
newsletter as a PDF file would help ensure everyone is able to
view it as you intended.

Opening PDF files

Opening and viewing a PDF file is pretty simple. Most modern web
browsers will open PDF files directly in your browser
window instead of downloading them to your computer. If your
browser can't do this, it should prompt you to download the file
instead. Try clicking this link to see how it works on your
computer.

If you need to view a PDF file just once, it's usually easiest to open
it in your web browser. If you need to access the PDF later, you'll
want to save a copy to your computer. This process will vary
depending on your web browser, but in the example below
the Save PDF button can be found near the upper-right corner.